Topics in Brief
A Community Bulletin

As part of an effort to revitalize Princeton Borough's Harrison Street Park, the Borough has received bids from three firms to execute the park's redesign. The firms, the Warren-based Paulus, Sokolowski&Sartor, the Millburn-based Edgewater Design LLC, and the Manhattan-based Coen + Partners (with Van Note — Harvey Associates), enter the picture following last fall's $5,000 naturalist's report. That study, conducted by Borough resident Stephen Hiltner, and including a tree analysis by arborist Robert Wells, identified some significant drainage problems, as well as proposing to plant a new generation of trees to succeed the existing aging tree canopy cover. A neighborhood group, Friends of Harrison Street Park, is expected to take part in the firm selection process. (MH)

Princeton Day School graduates Christopher Benchley, of Princeton Borough, and Caitlin McPhaden, of Yardley, Pa., two of six teens charged with criminal trespass in a December 18 incident at PDS, appeared in Superior Court in Trenton last week and entered into a court-approved pre-trial intervention program, under which they will have to pay restitution to the school for damages, serve 75 hours of community service, and report regularly to their case supervisor. Ms. McPhaden and Mr. Benchley, the son of Princeton Borough Councilwoman Wendy Benchley, were arrested by Princeton Township Police in January and charged with unlicensed entry, a fourth-degree offense with a maximum penalty of 18 months' imprisonment. Pre-indictment hearings are pending for the other four teens. (LA)

Princeton University has offered admission to 1,791 students, or 9.5 percent of those who applied for this year's upcoming freshman class, after receiving a record 18,942 applications. Acceptance letters were mailed March 29 to 1,194 students who applied through the regular decision process. Also, for the first time, the school's admissions office informed applicants of their decisions through an online notification system. An additional 597 students who applied during Princeton's final year of its early decision process were admitted in December. Of those accepted, PU expects 1,245 students to actually enroll in the incoming freshman class.

The governing bodies of Princeton Borough and Princeton Township will convene this coming Monday at 7 p.m. at Township Hall to come to terms on the annual budget related to 17 shared municipal agencies. Some of the joint agencies the meeting will address include the Princeton Public Library, the Princeton Sewer Operating Committee, the Cable Television Committee, and the Princeton Recreation Department.

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